Applications for Vet-LRN Program Cooperative Agreement PA-12-194 Summary The Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) at University of Missouri is a full service veterinary diagnostic laboratory and it is Missouri's only laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). It provides in-depth laboratory diagnostic support to veterinary practitioners, livestock and poultry industry interests, various stakeholders in companion animal health, wildlife conservationists, researchers, state and federal regulatory officials, and the MU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The VMDL is member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) and Tier I Laboratory of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet- LIRN). The goal of this application is to better support FDA's missions of promptly responding to high priority microbial and chemical contaminations of feed and veterinary drugs. The specific aims are to 1) improve VMDL's surge capacity for disease outbreak investigations and diagnostic test development and validation; and 2) to enhance the VMDL's training programs for more efficient diagnosis and report of foodborne illnesses. The added infrastructure will enable the VMDL to complete on-going FDA projects, develop new methods without interrupting routine diagnostic services, and to more efficiently respond to foodborne disease outbreaks. 1